Historic grant will supply Denmark with the world's best science educators

The world needs university science graduates like never before. However, Danish natural science programmes are challenged by high student drop-out rates and difficulties in effectively incentivizing educators to develop their teaching skills at research-intensive universities.

With a historically large grant of DKK 125 million (£16.7 m) from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Science Education will spearhead a new center where innovative research is set to change the approach to science education at Danish universities.

There is not enough research to describe the best approaches to delivering science education. The knowledge we currently base teaching on comes largely from other countries, such as the United States, which doesn’t necessarily mesh well with the Danish university environment.

"Much of the knowledge that we rely on comes from educational systems and cultures that are unlike our own and thereby less useful in a Danish context. This grant gives us the chance to learn more about the best way to educate Danish students in natural science programmes," says Professor Jan Alexis Nielsen, who heads the Department of Science Education.

Senior Vice President for Education & Outreach at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Berith Bjørnholm, says about the grant:

"We are extremely proud to support a center that will contribute to the high quality of science programmes at Danish universities. The USE Center is a unique initiative – even at an international level – that will position Denmark at the forefront of discipline-based education research and development. The center will allow educators to be inspired to develop their practice on the basis of research."

Educators must be better equipped

To a large extent, instructors continuously adapt their teaching to reality in Danish science programmes, finding out for themselves, for example, what type of instruction works best digitally or how teaching assistants can best be deployed.

"Today, instructors test things out along the way because we lack solid, research-based subject-area didactic knowledge to lean upon, in relation to both curriculum design and teaching method choice," says Jan Alexis Nielsen.

Current teacher training at universities lacks an overall or coordinated competence development for instructors beyond a pedagogical course. The new center will offer various forms of knowledge sharing and competence development in the form of courses, seminars, workshops and networks. 

"We must equip our educators in the best possible way to deliver professional instruction and to a greater extent, make decisions about our instruction and programmes of study on a research-based basis," says Jan Alexis Nielsen. 

In recent years, the various programmes of study are also challenged by the fact that new generations of university students are more diverse than ever. As a whole, they form a collective from across society, with different ideals and worldviews than before. This places new demands on both instruction and the programmes of study.

"We can’t do what we did ten years ago today because new generations of students come with completely different skill sets and ways of seeing themselves. Therefore, we need to get to know our students better as well, so as to be able to adapt the way in which we deliver instruction," explains Jan Alexis Nielsen.

Largest global investment ever

Over the next five years, the new center – The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for University Science Education (USE Center) – will examine subject areas in the natural sciences. In collaboration with educators and programme heads, the center will identify problems and challenges that need to be researched and develop tools to solve them.

Jan Alexis Nielsen describes the initiative as the largest single investment in natural science education ever on a global level. It also marks a much-needed investment in an area of research that has been underprioritized, until now.

"In all, we have received roughly DKK 20 million in grants in this area over the past twenty years. Naturally, this has resulted in research being spread across smaller projects and patchiness. With the grant of DKK 125 million over five years, Denmark will be a leader in the field and be able to deliver a comprehensive effort that will be of great importance to the next many generations of science students," says Jan Alexis Nielsen.

Novo’s Berith Bjørnholm adds: "The Novo Nordisk Foundation would like to strengthen the prestige and prioritization of teaching in the sciences. We want to contribute to a culture where innovation and the development of engaging and inclusive instruction are in focus, and thereby support universities in educating strong graduates who will help to create a sustainable and healthy future."

If all goes well, the center will receive a three-year continuation grant. After the eight years, and when the mission is completed, more than 2,000 educators and 15,000 science education students in Denmark will benefit in the long term from a new and innovative science education ecosystem.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for University Science Education (USE) connects a central hub at the Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen with satellites at Aarhus University and the University of Southern Denmark, as well as with leading international environments as strategic partners.